Maxwell Street as Beale Street
The comparisons between old Maxwell Street and old Beale Street
are numerous. Both were in large cities that were centers for
their region. Both were inner city commercial areas that were
also racially tolerant social centers. Many of the patrons of
both were from Mississippi and Arkansas. Both had multi-cultural
shop owners, many of whom were Jewish. Both had street vendors,
food stands, pullers (physically aggressive salesmen) and Blues
musicians playing outside on the street. Many of the musicians
who played on Maxwell Street also played on Beale Street. Both
were influential in creating Rock and Roll. The architecture
was similar also and anyone walking down Beale Street would feel
at home walking down Maxwell Street. Memphis was a midway stop
on the South-North route of the Illinois Central Railway. Chicago
was the terminus along that route, "the promised land."
There were differences too. Maxwell Street was a transplanted
southern neighborhood in a northern city. Memphis was a southern
city. Maxwell Street was much more of an outdoor marketplace.
It's nightlife was more informal compared to Beale Street's more
formal nightlife. Beale Street was a bit more upscale.
Below are some quotes from the 1994 booklet: Beale Street Talks:
A Walking Tour Down the Home of the Blues by Richard M. Raichelson
(Arcadia Records, P.O. Box 240544, Memphis, TN 38124) .
- Many blues musicians, such as Robert Johnson, Furry Lewis,
and B. B. King, as well as the ever-popular jug bands, played
for handouts in the park. (p. 32)
- Everyday life on Beale, especially on Saturday, jumped with
activity. In the daytime, the crowded levee overflowed with riverboats,
roustabouts, bales of cotton and other goods, various hucksters
and vendors, as well as an assortment of characters who frequented
the nearby saloons and cafes. Further east on Beale, sidewalks
were filled with displays of clothes, racks of shoes, and swarms
of people. Pullers hovered in front of pawn shops and dry goods
stores trying to attract customers. Street vendors sold a variety
of foods, like tamales and fried fish, while fresh fruit was available
from Tony's Fruit Stand and Joe Spinoza's fruit wagon. Peddlers
pushed their carts as they began their rounds. Farmers in overalls,
in town to do their Saturday shopping, boarded their horses and
wagons at Keck's Livery Stable (later a parking garage) on Second
Street, right around the corner from Beale. If they had produce
to sell, like vegetables, eggs, or chickens, they parked their
wagons next to Handy Park or somewhere on Beale. Handy Park echoed
with the rhythmic pulse of preachers and bluesmen, as well as
the awkward shuffle of winos, sounds which staggered into the
evening hours. (p. 3)
- Itinerant blues musicians and the popular jug bands played
for handouts on street corners and in Handy Park. Blues combos
and pianists pounded out their rhythms in seedy smoke-filled clubs
and in the many rough gambling dens. (p. 4)
- As if to keep everything honest and in balance, gospel music
rose from the pulpits and pews of both storefront and larger churches,
such as Centennial Baptist and Union Grove Baptist Church. Two
of them, Avery Chapel and First Baptist Beale Street Church, were
only a few doors away from Beale and Fourth, the intersection
that was home to some of Beale's most notorious gambling and drinking
spots. The proximity of such conflicting images all contributed
to the energy, vitality, and fame of Beale Street. Although little
of it remains physically, there is still much to talk about. (p.
4)
- One Minute Dairy Lunch (Willie Mitchell's Rhythm 'n' Blues
Club), 1941. This building, probably built by Paul Zerilla and
Joe Maceri at the same time as the New Daisy Theater, took the
place of an older two-story building constructed in the 1880s.
Its occupants were mostly grocers, barbers, and restaurant and
saloon proprietors, until 1921, when the One Minute moved in.
The One Minute, a popular rendezvous, specialized in footlong
hot dogs, chili dogs, and root beer. In the 1930s the café
sold 3600 hot dogs per day. (p. 41)
- This One Minute sounds similar to Jim's Originals which was
a tavern before it became Jim's in 1939. Jim's still exists on
Maxwell Street. Jim's is one of America's biggest selling hot
dog stands and is famous for its Maxwell Street Polish. The grilled onion smell
at Maxwell and Halsted is still there. - Steve Balkin
web page provided by OPENAIR-MARKET NET
return to the top of the page
return to Preserve Maxwell Street